The United States is becoming a rogue state

Written By: - Date published: 4:57 pm, June 20th, 2018 - 53 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, immigration, International, israel, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, us politics - Tags: ,

This is not a claim I make lightly.  But the United States, through its recent behaviour, is showing signs that it is becoming a rogue state, a description used to describe States that amongst other things has withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council and is engaged in the mass incarceration of kids whose parents were seeking entry to the United States.  And this is putting to one side its attempt to undermine the international response to Climate Change and to pick fights with erstwhile allies.

The withdraw from the UNHRC is allegedly because that body has a “chronic anti-Israel bias“.

From the Independent:

The United States is set to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, with the US ambassador to the UN calling the organisation a “protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias”.

Ambassador Nikki Haley said the withdrawal was not a retreat from the US’s commitment to human rights, but called the 47-member, international council “an organisation that is not worthy of its name”.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the decision “regrettable” but said the UK was “here to stay”.

The US has long called for the body to reform, saying it allows members that have been accused human rights violations. Ms Haley pointed to the involvement of countries like China, Cuba and Venezuela in her speech on Tuesday.

“Look at the council membership, and you see an appalling disrespect for the most basic rights,” Ms Haley said.

Ms Haley also accused the council of maintaining a “disproportionate focus and unending hostility towards Israel” that shows it is “motivated by political bias, not by human rights”.

The allegation of chronic anti Israeli bias is difficult to understand.  Palestine is fighting for its life and the subject of a continuous stream of attacks from Israel.  Of course other Nations should stand up and oppose this.

The relative death rate of one side’s civilians caused by military action by the other side is to me by far the most effective tool to work out if what Israel is doing is legitimate.  In the early 2000s it was 2.5 Palestinians for each Israeli.  In 2009 the death rate was 884 to 13.

And what is the current ratio of deaths?  From the start of the demonstrations on Palestinian soil against Israel’s treatment of them on March 30, 2018 to May 15, 2018 there were 114 deaths of Palestinians and an astounding 12,271 injured compared to one Israeli soldier being slightly injured.  The number is much higher now but the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has not updated its figures since May 15.  But I am sure you get the picture.  The ratio of deaths is now completely meaningless because it is so one sided.

We are not facing a war.  We are facing a one sided slaughter.

And what have the Palestinians been doing to deserve this treatment?  Engaging in passive protests on Palestinian land.

And no one is safe, not even Palestinian medics.  The UN reported on the death of Razan An Najjar, a 21 year old medic in these terms:

United Nations officials and agencies have expressed their outrage in the face of yesterday’s killing of Razan An Najjar, a 21-year-old female volunteering as a first responder, while carrying out her humanitarian duties with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS). Razan was hit by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces while trying, with other first responders, to reach those injured during the ‘Great March of Return’ demonstrations close to Israel’s perimeter fence around 18:30. She was taken immediately to a trauma stabilization point, and then to the European Gaza Hospital, where she died just after 19:00. Three others in her team were also injured.

She was shot and killed even though she was dressed in white and had raised her hands while approaching a Palestinian who needed urgent medical treatment.

And to cap it all off Israel then attempted to denigrate her character by doctoring a video to suggest that she was deliberately acting as a human shield for Hamas.

Israel is claiming legal justification for its actions. Customary International law requires the response of a state nominally acting in self defence to be proportionate to the threat. Israel is clearly in breach of this.  Shooting unarmed people engaged in peaceful protest in their own country.

For America to want to side with Israel makes no sense,  And totally undermines its position as the leader of the free world.

As for American Treatment of families seeking to enter the United States illegally all I can say is that if you are not affected by what has been happening you should check yourself for a pulse.

The news has dominated recent media.  America is engaged in the mass separation of children from their families if those families arrive in the United States without a visa.

The White House appears to have three contradictory explanations for the policy.

The first is that there is no change from what used to happen and there is no policy to separate families.

Trump contradicts this by blaming the Democrats for the problems and insisting that the only solution is to fund and build the wall.

Meanwhile evil bastard and Whitehouse aide Stephen Miller has described the mass incarceration of children as a simple decision. The consequences are an intended feature of the policy, not a bug.

And Geoff Sessions has reached out to the bible for justification for what the Trump regime is doing.  From ABC News he is quoted as saying:

I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order,” he said on Thursday. “Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful.”

As reported members of his own Methodist Church have filed a formal complaint against him, accusing him of “child abuse,” “immorality,” and “racial discrimination” and the “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrines” of the Church.

Former first lady Laura Bush has publicly said this:

Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the internment camps for U.S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent during World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history. We also know that this treatment inflicts trauma; those who have been interned have been twice as likely to suffer cardiovascular disease or die prematurely than those who were not interned.

Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.

People on all sides agree that our immigration system isn’t working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer.

And Republican heavyweights are showing signs of growing spines and standing up to Trump and his group.

Both Palestine and America show that our world is in a pretty fucked up state right now.

If you are interested there will be a vigil outside the US Embassy in Auckland on Friday June 22 from 5:30 pm and the Migrant Workers Union are organising a protest on Saturday June 23 at 12 pm also outside the Embassy.

53 comments on “The United States is becoming a rogue state ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Stuart Munro 1
    20 June 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Damn straight.

    Shame our PM’s busy, because someone needs to tell the US the thing their best friends won’t.

  2. Adrian 2
    20 June 2018 at 5:10 pm

    Your comment about the US support making no sense only makes sense in this respect. A few years ago a New York writer, Jewish as it happens, wrote a book on how it all works. Sorry I can’t remember the names of the book or writer as I only read the review in the NYTimes i think it was, but simply put, a very large chunk of the US Government monetary “aid” to Israel is channeled back to the US and distributed by a New York based Israeli organisation to senators and congressmen who are sympathetic to Israel. The numbers involved are astronomical.
    I’m sure someone cleverer than me can find the reference somewhere.

  3. Richard Christie 3
    20 June 2018 at 7:08 pm

    I wish people would learn the distinction between America and USA.

    • simbit 3.1
      21 June 2018 at 12:28 am

      Drop the ‘A’, they are the United States, no more.

    • mpledger 3.2
      21 June 2018 at 10:38 am

      In common parlance the USA is referred to as America. It is only in quite narrow areas that America, as a continent, is the intended meaning e.g. geography. And by context it is usually quite clear.

  4. Liberal Realist 4
    20 June 2018 at 7:22 pm

    MS I’d beg to differ. Imo the US is a rogue state and has been since its inception.

    US aggression has been ceaseless throughout its history, resulted in deaths of hundreds of millions of innocents, and the decimation of nations and cultures in its wake.

    The US was born of colonialism, theft, and genocide. It’s status in the world community underpinned by conflict, theft, and raw power. Culturally awash with false premise of identity politics & groupthink via liberalism and militaristic religious cults via conservatism. 40 million of its citizens living in 3rd world conditions while the 0.001% control more wealth than the 99.999%. It funds it’s fascist offspring Israel to the tune of $3.5B / year while defunding the last vestiges of social programmes (e.g. Medicare) that provides support to its destitute populations. And I could go on, but you get my point.

    Washington has funded it’s aggression planet wide with the ponzi scheme otherwise known as the ‘petrodollar recycling system’ since Nixon ‘nixed’ the Bretton Woods gold standard. In other words, funding hegemonic empire with funds effectively ‘borrowed’ from the rest of the world or simply ‘magiced’ out of thin air.

    The empire is now in terminal decline of their own making, and doing everything it possibly can to arrest it’s fall.

    The reach and breadth of propaganda is near saturation with modern information systems, the internet and so on – the final ‘nail in the coffin’ will inevitably be the advent of AI which will have absolute control of the global media narrative.

    IMO we have now entered the most dangerous period in human history. Collectively we’re all faced with an psychopathic, armed to the teeth, hyper-power that’s hell bent on global domination at any / all costs.

    • Philg 4.1
      20 June 2018 at 9:35 pm

      Liberal Realist. Well said. Where is the but, but, but… ?

    • Bill 4.2
      20 June 2018 at 9:51 pm

      The US is only becoming a rogue state to the type of mind that’s attracted by notions of the US being at heart a largely benevolent political expression of power. So for example, people who think and believe that JFK was essentially a good guy and the US and the world was diverted down some alternate route off the back of his assassination…

      In essence, it’s the same willfully blind and/or bankrupt nonsense on the part of liberals as that exhibited by apologists for Bolshevism who’d swear blind that “if only Trotsky…!” etc.

      Under Trump the mask has slipped. That’s all. Under Obama or Bush or Clinton or who-ever, it was the same US as we see today, but playing out beneath a distracting veneer of civility and with a measure of sophistication that’s now lacking.

      • tc 4.2.1
        21 June 2018 at 6:59 am

        Nailed it bill.

        I saw mickeys tag and thought there’s no ‘becoming’ in that line more a ‘continues to show’ because as you rightly point out (along with Zappa years ago) the facades dropped it’s now out in the open complete with bible bashing rhetoric.

      • Gristle 4.2.2
        21 June 2018 at 9:34 am

        Strike out the words “becoming a rouge” and acknowledge that post WW2 the USA is acting as any hegemonic power does.

        The biggest running joke is Current investigation into whether there was Russian interference into the 2016 USA elections. It’s as though the USA doesn’t routinely interfere with other countries’ elections. Oh, wait on,

        The human rights abuses the USA has undertaken or sponsored are too many to get a comprehensive list on.

        The extortionate trade practices the USA has (common with Britian back when it was the dominant player.) Stealing IP and installing trade barriers.

        Walking away from Treaties and international agreements when they are so inclined. Just remember that that it was Bush in 2005 who walked back from the agreement with North Korea on nuclear disarmament and NK only responded to them.

        US involvement in Syria is because of …….? It’s really about trying to dominate the Middle East.

        The war on terror is the USAs current cover to do anything it wants anywhere it wants. Prior to that it was the war on communism. The next pretext will be China.

        I am expecting war with Iran and there are only two time periods this will occur. It will either be in September/October of this year or September/October 2020. This timing will be to play into Trump’s election plans.

        It’s attraction to democracy and human rights are really only for well off white folk (preferably male.)

        • the other pat 4.2.2.1
          21 June 2018 at 11:56 am

          yup the American hegemony is dying and time will tell what/who it will lash out in its fuck you if i cant have it no one can attitude.

    • Pat 4.3
      21 June 2018 at 11:51 am

      Hi pat…..still havn’t worked out a new handle I see

  5. Anne 5
    20 June 2018 at 7:48 pm

    As for American Treatment of families seeking to enter the United States illegally all I can say is that if you are not affected by what has been happening you should check yourself for a pulse.

    I understood many of them were refugees trying to escape poverty and persecution in the South American countries from whence they came. Surely that does not make them illegal migrants?

    Back in the 1960s my father used to say that WW3 would be started by America. That was a bold statement to make 50 years ago. It is starting to look like he was right.

    • solkta 5.1
      20 June 2018 at 8:05 pm

      The USA came very close to starting WW3 over the Cuban missile thing. It was ok for the USA to put nuclear missiles in Europe close to the border with the USSR but when the same was to happen to them they pushed the world to the edge of war.

    • mickysavage 5.2
      20 June 2018 at 9:31 pm

      I should have put speech marks around “illegally” and I agree. Not turning up to an American boarder with a permit if you are a refugee should not result in prosecution or having your kids taken off you.

  6. Daveosaurus 6
    20 June 2018 at 7:51 pm

    (waits for the chorus of ‘buh, buh, buh, but her emails! waaaaah!’ from people who really should have known better)

    • mickysavage 6.1
      20 June 2018 at 9:32 pm

      Heh.

    • Bill 6.2
      20 June 2018 at 9:39 pm

      Can you link to instances of comments on this blog diverting into the contents of Clinton’s emails as a way of defending or excusing the actions/policies of Trump or his admin?

      Because although I see it coming up as a charge or accusation again and again, I can’t recall reading any instances of it.

      • adam 6.2.1
        20 June 2018 at 10:19 pm

        The strawman cometh.

      • McFlock 6.2.2
        20 June 2018 at 10:28 pm

        I think it’s certainly died down since CV got kicked.

        Is the search engine running ok from the server maintenance? Maybe I’ve lost the knack for getting comments not posts.

        • Bill 6.2.2.1
          21 June 2018 at 10:11 am

          Were CV’s references to Clinton’s emails attempts to illustrate a “much of a muchness” in terms of potential policy or personal attribubes, or were they attempts to excuse and/or defend Trump admin policies?

          Even if the latter, how do the comments of one commentator who can no longer comment, explain the reflexive “but, but her emails” line that comes up regularly, and that only functions as an attempt to preemptively dismiss and shut down people interested in critical discussion/conversation/debate?

          • RedLogix 6.2.2.1.1
            21 June 2018 at 2:09 pm

            I’ll attempt to essay an answer on CV’s behalf, given he cannot speak for himself.

            There is no question that in terms of conventional political practice Clinton’s private email server was a huge mistake. Unacceptable on a number of levels and rightly exposed her to criticism by any conventional yardstick. As a representative of the system, she made herself vulnerable by her own standards and Trump instinctively went for it.

            Trump’s genius was to be able to simultaneously whack Clinton with this yardstick, while positioning himself as the ‘outsider’ against whom the conventional standards need not apply. In rational terms a monstrous double standard, but in reality a moot point … the damned ‘what about her emails’ meme became a real part of the campaign and there was no effective counter.

            Politically we tend to evaluate politicians by whether their own words and actions are internally consistent and coherent. Clinton held herself to a high political standard and fell short; Trump portrayed himself as an outsider, come to storm the gates and overthrow the icons … and delivered. Guess who won that exchange?

            • Bill 6.2.2.1.1.1
              21 June 2018 at 5:10 pm

              So, is it fair to say that CV might have referenced Clinton’s emails by way of pointing out that she wasn’t “the good” candidate in terms of the probity she projected and that people intending to vote for her assumed of her?

              Whether or not that was the case, even if CV had used reference to Clinton’s emails as a way of saying Trump was excusable, that was only one person on this blog, and there are a slew of people highly critical of Clinton who made no reference at all to emails (I’m among them) and whose criticism of Clinton was independent of any thoughts or feelings about Trump.

              And yet, all this way down the track, “but, but emails” and (fck, there’s another “go to” that’s eluding me right now) are thrown up as pre-emptive pieces of nonsense that would stymie any joining of the dots and prevent any drawing up of a bigger picture that might place Trump in any kind of recognisable context – which is kind of useful if the only idea is to indulge in some kind of vacuous “feel good” hate fest I guess.

          • McFlock 6.2.2.1.2
            21 June 2018 at 8:09 pm

            Firstly, I didn’t say CV was the only one who used it. Just that he was the most frequent user, as I recall. I’m sure by no means not the only example, but delivering examples without a search is more fucks than I give.

            But even the “much of a muchness” argument is, in my opinion, complete bullshit. It’s exactly what trump was doing when he made the “both sides” comment about the Charleston neononazi rallies.

            It’s a false equivalence that serves to minimise just how low down the barrel Trump is in US domestic politics and in geopolitical terms. Arguing a “much of a muchness” between Trump and Clinton is like saying the driver speeding the wrong way down a one way street blindfolded is “much of a muchness” with someone who is trying to control a lorry with failed brakes.

            • RedLogix 6.2.2.1.2.1
              22 June 2018 at 1:16 am

              By any rational measure ‘but, but the emails’ is a bs argument. But politics isn’t rational; it’s about people rationalising their emotional responses.

              And in that respect it was a fucking brilliant bit of bs because it gave all those people who instinctively wanted to vote Trump a ‘factoid’ to hang their choice on.

              We’re not talking tiddlywinks here; politics doesn’t get more intense and demanding than this. What on earth possessed the Secretary of State to break with all protocol and set up a private, off-the-record, email server? And then when it’s uncovered, delete it’s content? You don’t have to invoke any malicious or under-hand intent to know this was an unwise, even foolish act. What was the possible gain for the risk involved? Or did Clinton just quietly imagine the rules didn’t apply to her?

              Clinton was up against a ruthless player who wins any cost. Handing him a weapon; an email server that revealed, at the least, a cavalier attitude towards national security and protocol, may in the normal course of events have been unwise, but not fatal. Instead Trump exploited it for that could be squeezed from it, and in the circumstances she really needs to hold herself accountable for the consequences.

              • McFlock …
                22 June 2018 at 9:10 am

                Oh bullshit.
                It wasn’t brilliant and it wasn’t exploited.
                It was one pellet fired from bullshit shotguns that involved an arbitrary choice made years beforehand. It was another beat up alongside so many others that were launched regardless of their truth, their triviality or seriousness if true, and how well they were handled if they were serious.

                But you were right about who thought it was important. People who needed some smudge of imperfection in order to publicly own supporting trump. Would they have voted differently if fox and Jones hadn’t been firing the email pellet, or comey hadn’t made his bullshit tilt a week beforehand? Who knows. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.

  7. Timeforacupoftea 7
    20 June 2018 at 8:05 pm

    Once again the UN and the world stands by and watches it own medic staff member get shot, children and unarmed africans get killed and maimed and carry on watching it all unfold on TV while drinking coffee.

    SHAME ON THEM.

  8. barry 8
    20 June 2018 at 8:16 pm

    To paraphrase Marx, the US can’t bear to be a member of a human rights commission that would have them as a member.

  9. gsays 9
    20 June 2018 at 8:55 pm

    Well laid out Mickey, thanks.
    Before I get uppity about the U.S., I am more upset with our lack of action.

    Why do we still have an Israeli embassy and ambassador?
    Send the diplomat home and close the embassy.
    Let migrants use it.

    By remaining inactIve and mute we are condoning the goings on in Palestine.

    • Timeforacupoftea 9.1
      20 June 2018 at 9:18 pm

      ( gsay said :
      Why do we still have an Israeli embassy and ambassador?
      Send the diplomat home and close the embassy. )

      While you are at it lets send any other countries diplomats home that supports the do nothing UN bastards which we give millions of dollars each year.

      The world knows what is happening to the Palestinians but does nothing.
      That is a crime against humanity and on humanity

      • solkta 9.1.1
        20 June 2018 at 10:00 pm

        So who do you suggest do what? Should we declare war on Israel and send our navy (snigger) to blockade them? If not us then who?

        • the other pat 9.1.1.1
          21 June 2018 at 11:57 am

          hey dont knock the Navy mate….we would paint big scary faces on the boats and that would really make them pause….oh wait….sorry they were reloading.

  10. RedLogix 10
    20 June 2018 at 9:27 pm

    The ugly anti-Americanism on show here is almost as repellent as the Russophobia it alternates with. Really need a more sophisticated analysis than these tired Cold War tribal echoes.

    • Anne 10.1
      20 June 2018 at 10:29 pm

      Redlogix… under the Trump regime (and it is now appropriate to call it a regime) America IS becoming a rogue state. It must be devastating for the millions of decent Americans who despise him as much if not more than we do. When we speak up against the vile Trump and is equally vile team then, imo, we are standing with those same Americans and I can only hope it gives them some comfort to know they are far from alone.

      • RedLogix 10.1.1
        21 June 2018 at 1:39 pm

        Apologies for not responding in a timely fashion, I’m only online sporadically as I travel. Airport wifi and all that.

        Absolutely we live in very unstable times; a lot of things are happening all at once, many are uncomfortable, unappealing or downright appalling. And yes Trump does very much divide the American people, he is a de-stabilising and polarising figure. It’s a dangerous trend.

        I’ve been attempting to understand my participation here over the past decade; I’m under no illusion it has much import but to myself alone, but it has served the purpose of helping me to articulate and refine what I believed. Given that most of us simply believe things we’ve either read or heard from other people, sorting , sifting and synthesising a coherent belief structure is a non-trivial task.

        Out of this reflection I’ve come to understand that the worst development of the past decades has been a rising tide of demonising rhetoric from both sides of the political spectrum. We live in an age where extremism has become the calling card of political credibility, while calling oneself a ‘moderate’ has become a dangerous thing.

        In terms of the OP, the interests of ordinary people everywhere, and especially in the USA and Russia, are not served by replays of unthinking Cold War tribalism. And while of course no nation is above or immune to criticism, or being held accountable for it’s mistakes and miss-steps … extremist labels such as ‘rogue nation’ really don’t help the discourse.

  11. Philg 11
    20 June 2018 at 9:32 pm

    This tragedy is the latest of a lengthy history of US government’s amoral behaviour. The policeman of the free World? A Tui for sure.

  12. Tricledrown 12
    20 June 2018 at 9:46 pm

    Manafort goes to jail trump throws a dead cat and it bounces back in his face.
    Trump is running out friends even his own wife.
    Not that he’s ever cared about her.
    His philandering as sexual harassment case’s prove that.

  14. Tricledrown 14
    20 June 2018 at 11:59 pm

    Trump is not getting any sex right now
    His missus doesn’t want to go their.
    Remember bonking Bill Clinton when his wife found he started bombing civilians.
    A sex addict suffering withdrawal symptoms!

  15. One Anonymous Bloke 15
    21 June 2018 at 8:09 am

    When the executive order is knocked back by the courts for illegally detaining children indefinitely, I hope no-one forgets that you don’t need an executive order to rescind your own policies.

    A phone call to Sessions would have done the trick.

    Disgusted (but not surprised) by Peters’ craven failure to condemn this atrocity.

  16. esoteric pineapples 16
    21 June 2018 at 8:54 am

    With Geoff Session using the Bible to back his claims, now is the perfect time for people to get to know what exactly is in it, as this is the book that evangelical Christians are using as their template for the new order they would like to see implemented in the US. Murder, mass murder, rape, slavery, sex slavery, genocide and child murder are actually all okay. The modern interpretation of Moses’ Ten Commandments is actually an evolution away what his commandments actually were (which are actually many more than ten). As Aaron Ra points out (below), the more we have moved away from the actual teachings of the Old Testament, the more humane we have become.
    However, Christian fundamentalists who take a literal interpretation of the Old Testament are actually correct in their claims of what the Bible says. Their argument is that if you aren’t actually following the Bible, are you really a Christian. Obviously, the debate is far reaching and complex but maybe it’s time for a light to be shone on the Old Testament and the Christians who use it as a template for their beliefs, much like the Koran. As long as these are accepted as legitimate texts from God, they justify some pretty hideous behaviour. Maybe it is time for society to stop accepting the Bible as a source to measure good moral behaviour by?

    NB , the joke is on these Christians, because commandments like keeping slaves and sex slaves only apply to Jewish men. According to the Old Testament all the Christian evangelicals can be slaves but can’t own slaves etc.

    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aaron+ra+ten+commandments

  17. kevin 17
    21 June 2018 at 11:20 am

    Human Rights and Drone Strikes are mutually exclusives.
    So yes, the USA is a rogue state and always has been.

  18. Richard McGrath 18
    21 June 2018 at 4:31 pm

    Yes the US is a rogue state… but hang on a minute, if it’s such an awful country why do all these Mexicans want to live there?

    As for the UN Human Rights Council, what are Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar, South Africa, Egypt, Cuba and China doing sitting on a body that lectures others on their human rights violations?

  19. Ant 19
    23 June 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Too true as reiterated for many years by Chomsky, Pilger, Medialens, The Intercept
    et al

  20. Macro 20
    23 June 2018 at 4:32 pm

    The US has in many ways always been a “Rogue” state. There have been examples in the past century where they have decided to work with other nations for the betterment of human kind, and when they do their influence can be huge. But just take for instance the matter of AGW. For decades the nations of the world met at conference after conference always trying to get some sort of unified agreement on tackling continued rising GHG emissions of which the US is one of the prime culprits. Time after time these discussions met with failure largely because of the reluctance of the US to commit to action. Finally in 2015 they were able to come to some sort of agreement however minimal. But the significance of that agreement was huge because at last there was world wide agreement that something must be done. Of course with CO2 levels now well over 400ppm it is almost too late. The decision by Trump to renege on this small commitment is the action of a rogue state. This is just one area where the US has held back. Its use of indiscriminate torture and rendition is another. However under the current administration the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that it can hardly be held as the “leader of the free world” any longer.
    Just this weekend, while other members of the G7 have committed to an Ocean Plastics Charter Trump and his co partner in crime Scott Pruitt have announced over the past week the repeal of US regulations to protect the Oceans

    Trump’s directive focuses on energy extraction, fishing, trade and national security, further highlighting that he believes that the greatest value of federal lands and waters lies in the commodities that can be harvested from them.

    “Ocean industries employ millions of Americans and support a strong national economy,” reads the order, which Trump signed Tuesday. “Domestic energy production from Federal waters strengthens the Nation’s security and reduces reliance on imported energy.”

    Missing from the order are words like “conservation,” “stewardship” and “climate change,” as well as any mention of numerous other threats facing the world’s oceans, including plastic pollution, coral bleaching and acidification.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-ocean-executive-order-national-ocean-month_us_5b2a8ddbe4b0f0b9e9a7e186

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  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    9 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    Chris Trotter writes –  MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    13 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    15 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    16 hours ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’.  The data is from February this ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    18 hours ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    19 hours ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    21 hours ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications: Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    Chris Trotter writes –  The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Bryce Edwards writes  – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    Citizen Science writes –  Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    Karl du Fresne writes –  There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    David Farrar  writes –  The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    David Farrar writes –    The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated.   While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
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  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
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  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
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    14 hours ago

  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
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  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
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  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
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  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
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  • Government backing mussel spat project
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  • Government focused on getting people into work
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  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
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  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
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  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
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  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
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    2 days ago

  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
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  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
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  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
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    4 days ago

  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
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  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
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  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
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  • Prime Minister Luxon acknowledges legacy of Singapore Prime Minister Lee
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.   Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
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  • PMs Luxon and Lee deepen Singapore-NZ ties
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.  During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
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  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
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  • Finance Minister travels to Washington DC
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    4 days ago

  • Pet bonds a win/win for renters and landlords
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    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel for SH1 Wellington being considered
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    5 days ago

  • New Zealand condemns Iranian strikes
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.    “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.    "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
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  • Huge interest in Government’s infrastructure plans
    Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
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    1 week ago

  • Health Minister thanks outgoing Health New Zealand Chair
    Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.   “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti.  “I have asked her to ...
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  • Roads of National Significance planning underway
    The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.  “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
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  • Navigating an unstable global environment
    New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.   “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.    “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
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  • NZ welcomes Australian Governor-General
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
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    1 week ago

  • Pseudoephedrine back on shelves for Winter
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  • NZ and the US: an ever closer partnership
    New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
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    1 week ago

  • Joint US and NZ declaration
    April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
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  • NZ and US to undertake further practical Pacific cooperation
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